1981 Clemson Tigers football team

1981 Clemson Tigers football
Consensus national champion ACC champion Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 22–15 vs. Nebraska
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	12–0 (6–0 ACC)
Head coach	Danny Ford (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Nelson Stokley (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Option
Base defense	5–2
Captain	Jeff Davis, Lee Nanney, Perry Tuttle
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium

1981 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Clemson $	6	–	0	–	0			12	–	0	–	0
No. 9 North Carolina	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Maryland	4	–	2	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Duke	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
NC State	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Wake Forest	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Virginia	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Danny Ford and played their home games in Memorial Stadium. Clemson finished their undefeated 1981 season with a 22–15 victory over the #4 Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 1982 Orange Bowl, and were voted #1 in the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) polls.

Achievements

The Clemson Tigers finished the 1981 season undefeated and untied (12–0) and were voted No. 1 in the Associated Press and UPI polls. Following the bowl win over Nebraska, a consensus national championship was secured via voting by AP, UPI, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and National Football Foundation (NFF).^[1] The Clemson Tigers of the 1980s were the fifth winningest Division I college football team of the decade, with a record of 86-25-4 (.765).^[2]

Clemson head coach Danny Ford was awarded the 1981 Coach of the Year Award by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the FWAA.^[3] At the time, Coach Ford was the youngest ever to receive the award, and the youngest to have won a National Championship.^[4]

In the 1982 Orange Bowl, Clemson QB Homer Jordan received Offensive Most Valuable Player honors.^[5] He earned first-team All-ACC honors in 1981, his junior season, and finished first in the ACC in passing efficiency and 12th in the nation. Jordan was an honorable mention All-American selection in 1981. He was runner-up for ACC MVP behind teammate Jeff Davis, but the team voted him MVP in 1981. Even though Jordan was injured for much of his senior season, he helped lead the 1982 team to a 9-1-1 record and number-eight national ranking. He also earned honorable mention All-American honors as a senior. He ranked as Clemson's 18th greatest player of the century. Jordan was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1993.^[6]

Tigers visit the Oval Office in January 1982 with President Ronald Reagan

Clemson LB Jeff Davis, captain of Clemson's 1981 team, was inducted into the Clemson Ring of Honor in 1995. Davis was a Consensus All-American in 1981^[7] when he led the Tigers in tackles. Davis was also named MVP of the ACC and was the defensive MVP of the Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska.^[5] Davis has the third best mark in career tackles in Clemson history and has also caused the most fumbles and recovered the most fumbles in team history. He was a fifth-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played for them from 1982 to 1987. He led the Buccaneers in tackles and was the captain of the team for four seasons. Along with being in the Clemson Ring of Honor, Davis was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1989 and the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2001. He was named to Clemson's Centennial football team in 1996 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2007.^[8]

Clemson DB Terry Kinard is the only Clemson player to be a unanimous All-America pick. He was the first two-time Clemson All-American defensive back and a first-team AP All-American two years in a row, the only Clemson player to accomplish that. Kinard was named the CBS National Defensive Player-of-the-Year for the 1982 season and was chosen to the USA Today All-College Football Team in the 1980s. Kinard was a two-year member of the All-ACC team. He is the all-time Clemson leader in interceptions with 17, a mark that tied the 20-year-old ACC record. He also holds the Clemson record for tackles by a defensive back with 294 in his career. After leaving Clemson Kinard was a first-round pick of the New York Giants in 1983, and was the 10th pick overall in the draft. Sports Illustrated named him to College Football's Centennial Team in 1999. He played with Super Bowl Champion New York Giants in 1986 and was with the club from 1983 until 1989. Kinard played in the 1988 Pro Bowl Game. Kinard played with Houston Oilers in 1990. He was named to Clemson's Centennial team in April 1996. He ranks as Clemson's #3 football player of all-time was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2001.^[9] He was inducted into Clemson Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Ring of Honor in 2001. He was also inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2002.

Clemson WR Perry Tuttle was voted a first-team All-American in 1981, and set then-Clemson records for receptions and yards. Tuttle also had at least one reception during the last 32 games of his Tiger career. He still ranks fourth all-time in receptions (150), second all-time in receiving yards (2,534), second in touchdown receptions (17), and ninth in yards per reception (16.89). In the 1982 Orange Bowl, he had five receptions for 56 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass. That touchdown catch was the final reception of his Clemson career and earned him a place on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Following his Clemson career, Tuttle was chosen with the 19th overall pick of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. After a three-year NFL career, Tuttle went on to the Canadian Football League where he had a six-year career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He helped lead the team to a Grey Cup Championship in 1990 and was inducted into the Winnipeg Hall of Fame in 1997. Tuttle was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1991 and named to Clemson's Centennial team in 1996.^[10]

Schedule

Clemson hosted Wofford on Saturday, September 5, in the season opener for both teams. Wofford was one of the three teams Clemson played in its first year of football competition in 1896, but had not played the Terriers since 1940. Clemson was originally scheduled to play the Villanova Wildcats for the third game of the 1981 season, on Saturday, September 26, but the Wildcats had canceled their football program in the spring of that year. Wofford had an open spot in their schedule and agreed to play Clemson.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	1:00 p.m.	Wofford*		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC		W 45–10	59,313	[11]
September 12	8:30 p.m.	at Tulane*		Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA		W 13–5	45,736	[12]
September 19	1:00 p.m.	No. 4 Georgia*	No. 18	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	ESPN	W 13–3	62,466	[13]
October 3	1:30 p.m.	at Kentucky*	No. 14	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	ABC	W 21–3	57,453	[14]
October 10	1:00 p.m.	Virginia	No. 9	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC		W 27–0	63,064	[15]
October 17	1:30 p.m.	at Duke	No. 6	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC		W 38–10	26,000	[16]
October 24	1:00 p.m.	NC State	No. 4	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)		W 17–7	62,727	[17]
October 31	1:00 p.m.	Wake Forest	No. 3	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	USA	W 82–24	60,383	[18]
November 7	1:00 p.m.	at No. 9 North Carolina	No. 2	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ABC	W 10–8	53,611	[19]
November 14	1:00 p.m.	Maryland	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	USA	W 21–7	63,199	[20]
November 21	1:30 p.m.	at South Carolina*	No. 2	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	ESPN	W 29–13	56,971	[21]
January 1, 1982	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 4 Nebraska*	No. 1	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	NBC	W 22–15	72,748	[22]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[23][24]

Game summaries

Wofford

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
Clemson	3	14	14	14		45
Wofford	3	0	0	7		10
WOF - Hairston 24 FG CLE - Igwebuike 52 FG CLE - Tuttle 80 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick) CLE - Jordan 14 run (Paulling kick) CLE - Magwood 11 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick) CLE - Jordan 3 run (Paulling kick) CLE - C. McSwain 5 run (Igwebuike kick) WOF - Derrick 15 pass from Thompson (Hairston kick) CLE - McCall 10 run (Paulling run)

at Tulane

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
Clemson	0	7	0	6		13
Tulane	5	0	0	0		5
TU - Manalla 46 FG TU - Safety, Hatcher falls on bad snap in end zone CLE - Austin 4 run (Paulling kick) CLE - Paulling 31 FG CLE - Paulling 37 FG

Georgia

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
Clemson	0	10	0	3		13
#4 Georgia	0	0	3	0		3
CLE - Tuttle 8 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick) CLE - Igwebuike 38 FG UGA - Butler 40 FG CLE - Igwebuike 29 FG

at Kentucky

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
#14 Clemson	0	0	14	7		21
Kentucky	3	0	0	0		3
UK - Griggs 40 FG CLE - Mack 11 run (Paulling kick) CLE - Jordan 3 run (Paulling kick) CLE - McSwain 3 run (Paulling kick)

Virginia

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
#9 Clemson	3	7	14	3		27
Virginia	0	0	0	0		0
CLE - Igwebuike 22 FG CLE - Austin 42 run (Paulling kick) CLE - McCall 5 run (Paulling kick) CLE - Austin 1 run (Paulling kick) CLE - Igwebuike 32 FG

at Duke

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
#6 Clemson	7	17	14	0		38
Duke	0	3	7	0		10
CLE - Crite 4 run (Paulling kick) CLE - Paulling 20 FG CLE - Austin 15 run (Paulling kick) CLE - Jordan 1 run (Paulling kick) DUK - McKinney 29 FG CLE - Austin 2 run (Paulling kick) DUK - Jones 21 pass from Bennett (McKinney kick) CLE - Tuttle 29 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick)

NC State

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
#4 Clemson	3	7	0	7		17
N.C. State	7	0	0	0		7
NCS - Lawson 13 run (? kick) CLE - Igwebuike 39 FG CLE - Austin 1 run (Paulling kick) CLE - McCall 15 run (Paulling kick)

Wake Forest

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
#3 Clemson	14	35	20	13		82
Wake Forest	7	7	3	7		24
CLE - Austin 4 run (Paulling kick) CLE - Austin 3 run (Paulling kick) WF - Duckett 17 pass from Schofield (Denfield kick) CLE - C. McSwain 1 run (Paulling kick) CLE - Mack 10 run (Paulling kick) CLE - Jordan 7 run (Paulling kick) CLE - McCall 24 run (Paulling kick) CLE - C. McSwain 16 run (Paulling kick) WF - Cunningham 1 run (Denfield kick) CLE - Tuttle 75 pass from Jordan (L. Brown kick failed) WF - Denfield 22 FG CLE - Tuttle 25 pass from Gasque (L. Brown kick) CLE - C. McSwain 12 run (L. Brown kick) CLE - Holloman 3 run (L. Brown kick) CLE - Crawford 72 run (L. Brown kick failed) WF - Duckett 5 pass from Schofield (Denfield)

at North Carolina

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
#2 Clemson	0	7	3	0		10
#8 North Carolina	0	5	3	0		8
UNC - Barwick 22 FG CLE - McCall 7 run (Paulling kick) UNC - Safety, Barlow blocks punt out of end zone CLE - Igwebuike ? FG UNC - Barwick 26 FG

Maryland

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
#2 Clemson	7	14	0	0		21
Maryland	0	0	0	7		7
CLE - Tuttle 14 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick) CLE - Tuttle 5 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick) CLE - Gaillard 12 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick) MD - Wysocki 7 run (Atkinson kick)

at South Carolina

SCORING SUMMARY
	1	2	3	4		T
#2 Clemson	6	9	7	7		29
South Carolina	7	0	6	0		13
USC - Wright 1 run (Fleetwood kick) CLE - Rembert recovered blocked punt (Paulling kick failed) CLE - Paulling 24 FG CLE - Jordan 11 run (pass failed) USC - Smith 10 pass from Beckham (run failed) CLE - C. McSwain 1 run (Paulling kick) CLE - C. McSwain 23 run (Paulling kick)

vs. Nebraska (Orange Bowl)

Main article: 1982 Orange Bowl

SCORING SUMMARY[25]
	1	2	3	4		T
#1 Clemson	6	6	10	0		22
#4 Nebraska	7	0	0	8		15
CLE - Igwebuike 41 FG NEB - Steels 25 pass from Rozier (Seibel kick) CLE - Igwebuike 41 FG CLE - Austin 2 run (pass failed) CLE - Tuttle 13 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick) CLE - Igwebuike 36 FG NEB - Craig 26 run (Craig run)

Personnel

Roster

1981 Clemson Tigers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 7 Cliff Austin Jr C 63 Tony Berryhill Sr G 70 Brian Clark Sr RB 48 Craig Crawford Fr TE 85 Bubba Diggs Jr TE 81 K. D. Dunn Fr G 60 James Farr So OT 61 Brad Fisher Sr WR 41 Jerry Gaillard Sr QB 11 Mike Gasque Sr QB 3 Homer Jordan Jr RB 27 Kevin Mack So C 52 Cary Massaro So RB 35 Chuck McSwain Jr OT 77 Lee Nanney Sr WR 15 Jeff Stockstill Jr WR 22 Perry Tuttle Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 69 Vernie Anthony Jr CB 1 Vandaell Arrington So DT 71 Dan Benish Jr DE 57 Nick Bowman Sr DB 9 Ken Brown So DT 99 Jeff Bryant Sr SS 26 Tim Childers So LB 24 Billy Davis So LB 45 Jeff Davis Jr LB 36 Dean Day Jr DT 94 William Devane So CB 29 Hollis Hall Sr DE 12 Andy Headen Jr FS 43 Terry Kinard Jr CB 28 Rod McSwain So DT 66 William Perry Fr LB 90 Johnny Rembert Jr CB 21 Anthony Rose Sr DE 84 Bill Smith Sr LB 82 Danny Triplett Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 5 Dale Hatcher Fr K 18 Donald Igwebuike Fr	Head coach Danny Ford Coordinators/assistant coaches Curley Hallman (DB) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Depth chart

Defense [26] FS Terry Kinard Billy Davis WLB SLB Jeff Davis Danny Triplett Randy Cheek Johnny Rembert Cat Tim Childers Jeff Suttle CB Anthony Rose Randy Learn Bandit DT NT DT DE Andy Headen Jeff Bryant William Perry Dan Benish Bill Smith Mark Richardson Jim Scott William Devane Ray Brown Joe Glenn CB Hollis Hall Rod McSwain Offense [27] WR Perry Tuttle Jeff Stockstill LT LG C RG RT Brad Fisher James Farr Tony Berryhill Brian Clark Lee Nanney Alex Hudson Brian Butcher Cary Massaro Bob Mayberry Gary Brown TE Bubba Diggs Jim Wurst WR Jerry Gaillard Frank Magwood QB Homer Jordan Mike Gasque Key reserves RB Brendon Crite QB Anthony Parete WR RB Duke Holloman FB Craig Crawford RB Cliff Austin Chuck McSwain FB Jeff McCall Kevin Mack Special teams PK Donald Igwebuike PK Bob Paulling P Dale Hatcher P Richard Hendley KR Perry Tuttle PR Billy Davis LS Scott Williams H Anthony Parete

Coaching staff

• Danny Ford - Head Coach
• Tom Harper - Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line
• Nelson Stokley - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
• Willie Anderson - Defensive Line
• Steve Hale - Defensive Ends
• Les Herrin - Linebackers
• Curley Hallman/Rick Whitt - Defensive Backs
• Larry Van Der Heyden/Buddy King - Offensive Line
• Rex Kipps - Tight Ends
• Chuck Reedy - Running Backs
• Lawson Holland - Wide Receivers
• George Dostal-Strength and Conditioning
• Fred Hoover - Head Athletic Trainer
• Bert Henderson - Assistant Trainer
• Bob Easley - Student Trainer
• Joe Franks - Student Trainer
• Greg Craig - Student Trainer
• Vann Yates - Student Trainer
• Jay Bennett - Student Trainer
• Chip Winchester - Student Trainer
• Len Gough - Equipment Manager
• George Caine - Graduate Assistant
• Mark Garrison - Student Manager

^[28]

References

1. Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, page 80.
2. Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, page 73.
3. Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, page 395.
4. 1981 National Championship Season, p. 130. Accessed 2009-09-03. Archived 2009-09-05.
5. Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, page 356.
6. "Player Bio: Homer Jordan :: Football". February 20, 2007. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
7. Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, page 221.
8. Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, page 235.
9. "National Football Foundation - Official Athletics Website". National Football Foundation.
10. Clemson Tigers Player Profile - Perry Tuttle Archived December 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
11. "Tigers wear out Wofford, 45–10". The Greenville News. September 6, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Clemson downs Wave, 13–5". Hattiesburg American. September 13, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Hey Dawgs, how 'bout them Tigers!". The Charlotte Observer. September 20, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Jerry Tipton (October 4, 1981). "Clemson roars back to whip Wildcats 21–3". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. C1, C5 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Clemson blanks UVA, 27–0". The Danville Register. October 11, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Clemson bedevils Duke, 38–10". Anderson Independent-Mail. October 18, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Clemson rallies to trip Pack 17–7". Greensboro News & Record. October 25, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Clemson 'pushes' past Deacs". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 1, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Tigers top Tar Heels". Florence Morning News. November 8, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "Jordan helps No. 2 Clemson humble Terps". Daily Press. November 15, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Tigers enjoy perfect finish". The Charlotte Observer. November 22, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
22. "Clemson spoils NU dream of 1970 repeat". Omaha World-Herald. January 2, 1982. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
23. "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1981". Football Media Guides. Clemson University: 2. 1981. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
24. "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1982". Football Media Guides. Clemson University: 0. 1982. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
25. "1982 Orange Bowl". University of Nebraska.
26. 1981 National Championship Season, p. 128. Accessed 2009-09-03. Archived 2009-09-05.
27. "Clemson University :: Clemson Tigers - Official Athletic Site". December 31, 2007. Archived from the original on December 31, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
28. 1981 National Championship Season, p. 128-129. Accessed 2009-09-03. Archived 2009-09-05.